Street-railway switch.



A. J. SNELL L R. C. DOLE.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLIUATIoN FILED JUNE 22. 190e.

*l To all whom it may concern.'

, vention, which will enable others skilled in Y its speed.

. States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson, in the State 'or Missouri, have invented certain new and useul improvements in Street-Railway Switches and 10 vor keeper which is fixed to the ra'lway rail and contains the switch operating mechan- "40 lwith the cover therefor removed, and the ANDREW J. SNELL, OF FORT WAYXE, IXDIANA,

'MISSORL ASSIGNORS O-F -EfFOL'RT'i'i INDIANA.

AND RAYMOXD C. DOLE, OF hAYSr-XS CITY, TG IMFOII P. LlVAN, OF FORT WAYNE,

STREET-RAILWAY SWTCI-I.

p No. 912,747..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1e, ieee.

Application tiled June 22, 1908. Serial No. 439,703.

Be it known that we, ANDREW J. SNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at F ort Wayne, Allen county, State of indiana, and RAYMOND C. DOLE, a citizen oi' the United We do herebydeclare that the .following is a full, clear, and exact description ol the-inthe afrt to. which it appertains to make and use the same, reierencefbeing had to the accompanying drawings, which lorin part of this speciiication.

Our invention relates to improvements in street-railway switches. It iswell known that in 'the streetrailway switches now in common use, it is necessary for the motor-man to sto-o his car, or at least to materially slacken its speed, and then throwtheswitch by means oi an iron rod which he carries on the ear, thereby occasioning a loss of time, to the company as well as the passengers,- particularly when it is necessary for him to bach up the car, as is sometimes necessary, when he misses the actuating engagement with the switch point.

The primary object of our present invention is to rovide a cheap, simple, efficient and reliab e switch which is positive in action and is adapted to be operated from the car by the' motor-man without the necessity oi stopping the car or even slacking up `Our invention consists oi a two-part'casiner ism; means for shifting the rail-point contained within the said casing; and means i'or operating such mechanism adapted to be actuated by a suitable pedal-lever not showiil The principal novel features ot our present invention are' the switch operating mechanism and its cooperative relation to the switch rail -and to its actuating means.

Similar Ireference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views ot' the drawing, in whicli- Figure 1` is a plan view oi our invention switch operating rod partly broken away, the operating mechanism being shown at one extended limit of its movement in dotted outline. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal central,

section of the containing casing taken on the line -r ol Fig. 1, showing the relative' arrangement of the operating mechanism and the means for returning the switch lever automatically to its normal position. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 2 on aline yay showing the longitudi'ii. l recess in the bottom oi the casing i'or the spring lever returning means. Fig. 4 is a pers ective detail oi the ivotally mounted switcli rod actuating bloei showing the means for engagement with the switch lever tongue. Fig. 5 is a pei'spectivedetail of the switch lever in its pivotal connection with the switch tongue. Fig. 6 is a plan view ol our invention secured in position to a track-rail and connected with a switchoint rail having an adjacent guardrail ot' tie usual construction, the switch point being shown at its outer limit by a dotted outline. f

The containing casing, of proper dimensions and suitable material, preferably of metal, consists of a body portion 1 and a removable cover 2. The forward portion of the bod)T 1 is hollow, :is shown, and is adapted to contain the operating mechanism. This portion ol the body l -is also provided with ii`longitudinnl recess 6 iiiidwny ofi'ts side adapted to loosely contain the mechanism herea'fler described. Body portion 1 is also provided with a longitudinal opening at its other endin substantial alineuient with the said recess 6. The body portion is also provided at its ends with the ears 3 having a lateral aperture 4, by means ot' which the casing is rigidly secured to the railway rail by means of suitable bolts, 7, Fig. 6 Foi the purpose of the recess the forward end of the casing 1 has a downward extension 5, as shown.

'In asuitable recess in the bottom of the forward end of the body portion is pivotally mounted a pin S whose upper end is 'fixed in the forward end of the switch block 9. This switch block luis an undercut portion on its vforward end as shown at 10, to the lower face of which and near the opposite sides thereof, are arranged the pendent pins 11, i'or.tlie purpose hereafter described. This undercut portion 1() is also provided, substantially midway oi its sides, with a verticalv opening 12 tor eceive the reduced pivotally mounted pendent extension 13 of the switch rod 14, whose outer treey end is provided upon its upper lace with a transverse slot 15,

adapted to receive and holdingly contain the' switch point reel 16, which is secured therein in any suitable manner. vThis switch point is of the usual or other proper construction,

and is pivota'lly mounted at its inner end to the track rail 17, and is provided with a' the outer jfree end of the switchv lever 20 whoseinner downwardly bent end is rigidly fixed to the block 21, having at its rear end a pendent lug 22 adapted to form a bearing for the rear end oi the horizontally arranged coiled 'spring 23, whose forward end forms a bearing against thel forward end oi the casing 1 in the said. recess 6, Fig 2, which spring is adapted by its tension to .automatically return the lever 20 and block 21 to their normal position as shown in Fig- 2. v The o`rward end=oi thel fixed block 21 has an undercut portion at 24 to the lower face of which is pivotally mounted the tongue 25 whose forward end has a notch 26 adapted to form an actuating engagement with the said pins 1 l alternately in the manner about to be described.

The operation and manner 'of employing our invention thus described is obvious, and brieiiy stated is as follows: Assuming theoperative parts of the switch to be in the positions shown in full lines in Figs. 1 2, and 6', the operator desiring to shift the switch point over to the position shown in'dotted lines in lFig. 6, and adjacent to the guard-l rail, actuatesV the lever 20 by striking the outer extended end thereof a glancing blow by means of any suitable pendent means operated and controlled by the motor-man, preferably by a suitable pedal-lever, all in a well understood manner, which operation lforces the pivoted notched tongue 25 forward to its engagement with that one of the pins 11, which. lies vin its path of forward movement. Fig. 1, which thereby forces the switch rod 14, outwardlycarrying with it the switch point 16, to its dotted outlineposition, F ig. 6. Obviously the switch point will remain in this position until it has been operated again from the car, although ,theswitch lever 2,0and the tongue 25 will be' promptly returned tra their normal position by the reacti'onof the coil spring 23. Whenthe operator desires to shift the rail pomt 16 back to its 'former position, he simply actuates the switch lever 20 by his pedal, lever mechanism, as before, whereby the forwardy movement of the pivoted tongue 25 will engage the other pin 11, which nowlies directly in its path, thereby returning the (pivoted block 9 to its former position and carrying with it the switch rod 14 and the' switch point 16, the spring pressed lever 20, promptly resuming its normal position as before de scribed. The lid 2 is secured in its position Snell:

in any suitable manner and preferably by a dust-prooi and water-tight connection to prevent any interference with the inclosed operating mechanism'. f t is obvious that our switch mechanism* thus Adejascribed is positive in action and reliable in its movements, since either one or the other. ofthe pins 11 willin practice always rest directly, in the path of the actuatingl tongue 25, and the actuating lever 20 will at each operation bep-romptly and automatically returnedto its normal position by means of the coiled spring' 23.

Having thus described our invention and able switch lever in right' angular relation with the said switch-rod; a block fixed on .fthe inner end of the said lever; a notched tongue pivotally connected with the said vlever, and vadapted .for an actuating engage- -ment with the said pins one at a time; and

means for automatically returning the said lever and tongue to their normal position after each operation thereof.'

-2. YIn astreet railway switch a containing casing; a movable switch rail; a rod connectedto said vrail in a substantially rightiulcrumed at one end and pivotally connected near itsother end to the said ro'd; means for so engaging the free end ofthe said block as to move ,it laterally alternately for the purpose of laterally actuating' the said switch rail, consisting 'of a longitudinallyy movable switch lever and a notched tongue pivotally connected with the saidlever and adapted to aotuate the said block; and

'means for causing the said lever and tongue toi resume their normal positions automatically.

Wayne, Allen county, Stateof indiana, on the 15th day of June, 1908, and by RAYMOND by Airnnnw J. SNELL at Fort` fable switch point rail .a longitudinally movvan-,Qgular relation; a plate or block pivotally D. DOLE, at Kansas City, `Jackson county,

State of Missouri, on the 17 th day of June,

ANDREW'J. SNELL. RAYMGND C. DOLE.- v

Witnesses to the signature of Andrew J.

AUGUSTA VIBERG, WAL'rs P. DENNY. Witnesses to the signature of Raymond C. Dole: f

HnNRY C. EMERY, ELIZABETH A. Emmer. 

